Snowfall blamed for accidents

CONCORD, N.H. — Crews worked through the night to clear roads in time for the morning commute today and school was canceled or starting late for some children across New England after several inches of snow fell.

Slippery roads were blamed for accidents throughout the Northeast, including a head-on collision in Vermont that killed a 46-year-old Bridport man Tuesday night. In New Hampshire, there were multiple spinouts on the Everett Turnpike and Interstate 93. Highways were still slick this morning and speeds were lowered to 45 mph. Outside of Buffalo, N.Y., a three-mile stretch of eastbound Interstate 290 was closed for about an hour after a six-vehicle accident.

The National Weather Service reported that Hartford, Conn., received 3 1/2 to 4 inches of snow; Boston got 6 inches; Manchester, N.H., 5 1/2 to 6; and Portland, Maine, came in at 9 inches. Coastal communities in Maine, such as Saco, hit 10 inches.

Behind the snow came biting cold. At 6 a.m. today, Portland was reporting a temperature of 18 degrees with a wind chill making it feel like 4 degrees.

Public schools in Portland were closed because of the snowstorm. Schools across Connecticut, including in Waterbury, Danbury and New Britain, were opening one or two hours late.

Temperatures today generally should be around freezing, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Chris Kimble in Gray, Maine. “The skies will be clearing, so it will be a warmer day,” he said. “With the sun out it should help melt the roads.”

Airports reported delays of an hour to more than 2 1/2 hours Tuesday because of snow and ice, according to the website FlightAware. But by today, air traffic was back to normal.

For some, the snow provided a welcome backdrop to the upcoming holidays.

“My feeling is it’s wonderful,” Tony Hartigan said Tuesday as he walked quickly across Main Street in Concord, N.H. He wore no hat or gloves despite the bank thermometer over his shoulder that blinked 3 degrees. “It packs the ski resorts, it’s pretty for Christmas and I spent last week in Florida so I didn’t see it!”

Associated Press Writer David Sharp in Portland, Maine, contributed to this report.